‘Specially-abled’ youths are trained in skiing by the Indian Army

Six specially-abled youths from Kashmir have been trained by the Indian army in skiing at the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Gulmarg. HAWS is a training facility for the Indian army. With the Chinar Corps initiative, specially-abled youths in Kashmir will be exposed to skiing first-hand in the hope that many more would take up this exhilarating sport.

HAWS’ Commandant was able to guide and supervise the event which was flagged off by the GOC of Sub Area 31 under the aegis of HQ 15 Corps. Sanjay Vishwas, GOC, 31 Sub Area expressed his hope that much more specially-abled youth will take up skiing and represent India at the Paralympics in the future.

The Indian Army had received several applications from volunteers for the short course. Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, an NGO from Jaipur, provided artificial limbs and other special accessories. From March 12 through March 26, the team successfully completed a 14-day skiing course.

The team was led by Lt Col Dharamdatt Goel, himself an amputee and war-wounded soldier. Among the other six Kashmiri members were Mr. Gowhair Ahmad Ganaie, Mr. Umar Salam, Mr. Abdul Rehman Mir, Mr. Rafiq, Mr. Musaib Rashid and Mr. Syeed Nazir. In the course, they learned the basics of sliding, gliding, snow plowing, maneuvering, and traversing. The participants displayed courage and determination.

They successfully covered a distance of 250 meters after learning the basic skills. This seemed impossible on the first day of training.  ‘HAWS and the Indian Army gave us an opportunity to prove ourselves, and we can be an inspiration for many of those who believe they won’t be able to achieve the same things we’ve achieved’, said Gowhar Ganai, a participant.

In India, skiing for the specially-abled has yet to be explored. Through their courage and motivation, these six skiers have sent a strong message to the youth of Kashmir that hard work and determination will always pay off in life, regardless of how difficult things are. The Chinar Corps said they hoped many more special-needs youths joined the ski team and represent India at the Paralympics.